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Wife Swap returns for a one-off, Brexit special tonight

Wife Swap: Brexit Special airs tonight (Thursday, June 15) on Channel 4 and we’re sure this politically charged episode will be full of fireworks.

The original Wife Swap series began back in 2003, but was axed six years later in 2009. However, Channel 4 is revamping the show for a one-off, Brexit edition.

The show will return “for an intimate look at the nation’s biggest talking point – Brexit.” Brexit and Remain households will trade spouses, as Ukip supporter Pauline Edwards and Green Party Remainer Kat Boettge switch lives for one whole week.

Oh, boy. This is going to be interesting.

Daniel Fromm, Executive Producer at RDF Television said: ““With the Brexit debate dominated by politicians and journalists it will be fascinating to hear the voices of two ordinary families grappling with the issue.”

Emily Jones, Commissioning Editor, Education, for Channel 4, added: “Wife Swap was largely about how people chose to run their homes, but it always had political undertones.

“Now the world has changed and recent events have brought political issues into the heart of every household.

“What better time to bring back this much loved format to explore Brexit and hear firsthand the conversations happening in every home.”

New ITV drama Fearless starts tonight

The crime drama follows a hard-working lawyer named Emma Banville (McCrory) as she fights to prove the innocence of her client, who she believes has been wrongly accused of murdering a young Suffolk schoolgirl.

Fearless jumps from Emma’s present city life in London to her earlier days growing up in Suffolk, where she began establishing her law career.

McCrory spoke about her character Emma, describing her as: “A vulnerable hero, a pioneer, a reaction to her own damaged past and someone who cares so much about what’s happening to the world about her.”

Speaking to the Express, she continued: “We’ve seen some strong female leads on TV, but (writer) Patrick Harbinson created a character I’ve never seen before.”

The Suffolk setting plays a prominent role in the new series, with much of the famous countryside featuring throughout the six episodes.

Assistant location manager Chloe Misson said: “Suffolk looks amazing. It features from the opening episode all the way through, in a series of flashbacks, as well as current-day action.

“We filmed at Bentwaters Parks and the countryside around it. The way those hills roll – the way they look if you are out on them – we captured something very rural, very isolated.”

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Channel 5 launching new show to rival ITV2’s Love Island

Channel 5 is set to launch a new show to rival popular ITV2 dating series Love Island.

The new programme, reportedly entitled We’re On A Break, will feature a group of loved up couples who are jetted off to sunny Mexico for the ultimate relationship test. Landing in party central and presented with numerous opportunities to flirt with other people, the duos will find out whether their relationship has what it takes to go the distance.

A source told The Sun newspaper: “These couples are in that situation where you just don’t know how you feel about the relationship until you’ve broken up, tested the water with a new date or seen your ex with someone else.

“What everyone in the show would agree on is they want a better relationship than what they’ve been having.

“Some might sink, some might swim. It’s being tipped as Love Island in reverse – they’re not singles looking for love – these people are in established relationships potentially looking to become single again.

“Who comes home with who on the flight back to Blighty is anyone’s guess.”

Love Island is set to return very soon for a third series and it is rumoured that former contestant Katie Salmon might be making a comeback to the show this year.

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WATCH: Trailer for GLOW, a new comedy drama about female wrestling arriving on Netflix

An exciting new comedy drama is landing on Netflix this June and if you’re all about female power then we’d definitely recommend giving this series a go.

Netflix introduces GLOW to its audiences next month, a brand new series about women’s wrestling in the late 1980s. The show gives viewers and insight into the obstacles women faced during a period when female fighting was seen as unconventional.

The initials standing for “Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling”, GLOW is named after the 1986-1992 women’s wrestling organisation.

Set in Los Angeles, the drama centres around Ruth Wilder, a struggling actress whose lack of cash leads her to a rather unusual audition for a fledgling professional wrestling promotion.

As she progresses in her new-found career, Ruth finds herself rising to fame just how she had always wanted and, more importantly, helping in the fight towards equality for women in the sport.

From the makers of Orange is the New Black, GLOW will run for 10 episodes for the first series and will be available to watch on Netflix from June 23, 2017. The show is based on the professional women’s wrestling syndicated TV series that existed in the ’80s and, like the original, will feature “big hair and body slams”.

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WATCH: Dara O’Briain’s Go 8 Bit trailer as it returns tonight on Dave

Get ready to delve into the virtual world of gaming for a second time, because Dara O’Briain’s Go 8 Bit returns tonight at 10pm on Dave.

Based on the smash hit live Edinburgh show, Dara O Briain’s Go 8 Bit airs tonight (Monday, May 15) and will see celebrities battle each other at a host of classic and contemporary games. You can watch the trailer for the exciting new series below:

And they will be playing a varied selection of games, with everything from classics Mega Man 2 and Lemmings, to cult titles such as Octodad and Goat Simulator, up to contemporary bestsellers like Angry Birds and Uncharted 4 featuring on the show.

Oh, and the good news doesn’t stop there! The main show will be followed by a brand new games review programme: Go 8 Bit DLC. So we hope you’re prepared for a whole hour and a half of the ultimate gaming experience.

Go 8 Bit’s resident games expert Ellie Gibson will be on hand beside team captains Steve McNeil and Sam Pamphilon. Gibson said: “I’m hoping it will offer an extended and enhanced user experience, so it’s just like regular DLC, except we’re not asking anyone to pay £7.99 for some new hats.”

UKTV senior commissioning editor Iain Coyle added: “After the great success of Go 8 Bit, it’s a logical move for us to further engage with the gaming audience. Go 8 Bit DLC is a great fun show on its own terms and I’m delighted that we’re also extending our relationship with Ellie, Steve and Sam.”

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Doctor Foster star Suranne Jones promises “war” in season 2

Suranne Jones has revealed details about the second series of Doctor Foster, and it’s looking like it could all be pretty intense.

The BBC drama about a woman’s discovery of her husband’s infidelity, Doctor Foster was one of the most talked about shows of 2015. After a two year wait, the highly anticipated second series is set to return to our screens very soon and, according to Jones, we should expect some real war-like episodes.

The actress, who plays lead Gemma Foster, teased some Western-style stand-offs between two particular characters in the upcoming series. Speaking at the Virgin TV BAFTA TV Awards last night (Sunday, May 14), she said: “I’m hoping it will be better, different.

“It’s kind of two people at war, so Mike Bartlett wrote it as a contemporary Western, and it does feel like that.”

The latest instalment will explore the aftermath of the series one finale, after Gemma confronts her husband Simon about his secret affair with the young Kate during that explosive dinner table scene.

Suranne continued: “It’s Gemma and Simon, when people aren’t looking after a divorce, what happens to two people who essentially still hate each other that haven’t sorted out their issues, and have a child to look after in the meantime.

“I think it’s really brave, different, and it certainly pushes the boundaries of family drama.”

Jodie Comer, who plays Kate, previously revealed series two will focus more on “the other woman”.

She explained: “On a personal level, what’s exciting for me is people will actually get to know Kate as a person. She is just known as ‘the other woman’ – so I think it’s quite cool to come back and hopefully maybe give people a different perspective.”

Hollyoaks’ Kieron Richardson to front new documentary on same-sex parenting

Hollyoaks star Kieron Richardson will front a new documentary exploring same-sex parenting for All 4. The new documentary will see Richardson meeting same-sex families and exploring the societal challenges… read more

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Hollyoaks’ Kieron Richardson to front new documentary on same-sex parenting

Hollyoaks star Kieron Richardson will front a new documentary exploring same-sex parenting for All 4.

The new documentary will see Richardson meeting same-sex families and exploring the societal challenges they face. It will also delve closely into the topics of surrogacy, modern parenting methods and the rewards of becoming a parent.

It will form part of a new season of LGBTQIA content commissioned by Channel 4 to celebrate 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales.

Richardson, who has portrayed bad boy Ste Hay in Hollyoaks since 2006, is currently expecting twins via a surrogate with his husband Carl Hyland.

Speaking about the documentary, he said: “As an expectant father myself I am fascinated to learn about other people’s experiences and also to hear their insight & perspectives on all the issues LGBTQIA parents face.”

Seamus Murphy-Mitchell, Executive Producer at production company Burning Bright Productions added: “The notion of parenthood had changed so much in fifty years, and Burning Bright is very proud to be working with Kieron to tell the story of what a family is in 2017.”

Kieron Richardson’s documentary on parenting in the LGBT+ community will be arriving exclusively on All 4 this summer.

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Freddie Flintoff to front new ITV game show ‘Cannonball’

Former cricketer Freddie Flintoff is set to front ITV’s newest game show, titled ‘Cannonball‘.

Flintoff is best known for being part of the 2005 Ashes-winning cricket team and later captaining England. Since retiring from the sport he’s had a number of television appearances, including a regular role on Sky 1 panel show A League of Their Own, where he has proven a hit with viewers.

According to the Sun, a source said: “ITV bosses were chuffed to get Freddie on board. He’s hugely popular with everyday people and he comes across well on telly, as has been seen on A League Of Their Own and his other media work. As an ex-sportsman who played at the top of his game, he knows about being competitive too, which will hopefully rub off on the contestants.”

Cannonball is a new game show which will see contestants test their physical strength in a variety of entertaining water-based challenges. Challenges will include high and long jumps on water slides while wearing fancy dress.

The new series was first reported in February, when a source said: “Cannonball is a wacky idea for a show but it promises to be funny. It involves people throwing themselves around in a swimming pool and making fools of themselves.”

According to the source, ITV are hoping to emulate the success of popular Saturday night challenge show Ninja Warrior with the new series.

It is not known when the new series will launch, but applications to take part in Cannonball closed last month.

REVIEW: AMC’s Manhattan is an enthralling and insightful real life tale

Both an insightful and enthralling depiction of the emerging nuclear age, AMC brings season one of Manhattan to UK audiences every Sunday at 9pm. The acclaimed drama is created and written by… read more

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REVIEW: AMC’s Manhattan is an enthralling and insightful real life tale

Both an insightful and enthralling depiction of the emerging nuclear age, AMC brings season one of Manhattan to UK audiences every Sunday at 9pm.

The acclaimed drama is created and written by Sam Shaw (Masters of Sex) and directed by Emmy Award-winning director Thomas Schlamme. Set in the remote location of Los Alamos, New Mexico, this IT follows the fictional lives of the soldiers, scientists and families caught up in the infamous Manhattan Project.

Manhattan delves into the moral struggles faced by those involved in the mission to build the world’s first atomic bomb and is brought to life by some spectacular cinematography and an equally impressive script.

Headed by nuclear physicist Frank Winter (John Benjamin Hickey), a group of scientists are relocated to a secluded desert to work on the top-secret project during World War II. But with no idea what it is they have been sent to work on, the team soon realise this is no ordinary assignment. It isn’t long before they are torn between their morals and their families.

The scientists must attempt to coexist in a world where deception and lies infiltrate every aspect of their lives. However, when a commitment to secrecy comes at the cost of their loved ones, new problems arise that they could have never imagined. While Frank becomes ever more consumed by his duty to the project, his wife Liza (Olivia Williams) discovers some frightening truths about the local environment, leaving their marriage hanging by a thread.

It is John Benjamin Hickey’s performance that really carries the series, with his character’s burdens and moral dilemmas acting as the main focal point of the plot. In fact, it would probably be fair to say that the first season of Manhattan builds towards answering the question of whether Frank Winter is actually a good man, opposed to the obvious question of who will win the race to build the first atomic bomb.

In a tale set against the backdrop of war and weaponry, there may be less action than initially expected for some. Instead, moments of tension arise from the emotional and competitive conflicts between characters. The first half of the season is slower paced in terms of plot, but this is only to allow for real character development and depth. This isn’t to say that dramatic twists and turns do not arrive later in the series… All we’re saying is, prepare yourself for the season 1 finale, ‘Perestroika’, in which the show totally explodes in its final moments.

While Manhattan is fictional, the series still maintains a clear dedication to period detail. Many of the storylines are closely connected to the real life events at Los Alamos, including the competing scientific teams, the radioactive related sicknesses, the inadequate health services, and the extreme paranoia and frustration among those involved and their families.

Manhattan is as fraught with emotional conflict as it is rich with historical detail. A truly gripping and insightful watch.

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Brand new show Mutiny airs on Channel 4 tonight

Mutiny begins tonight on Channel 4 and here is everything you need to know ahead of the premiere episode.

At 9pm tonight on Channel 4, viewers will get to watch nine men set out on an epic adventure as they attempt to recreate the 1789 Mutiny Of The Bounty.

It will be a test of survival as the group complete the 4000 mile journey of Captain Bligh, in just a small wooden boat.

SAS: Who Dares Wins‘ Anthony Middleton will be taking on Captain Bligh’s role as leader of the expedition, and he will be accompanied by a brave group of eight other men. The boat will hold a carpenter, a doctor and several specialist sailors.

They will battle harsh storms and treacherous reefs, just as Bligh’s men did, and will be forced to seek out vital supplies from remote tropical islands.

An old nautical saying goes: “When ships were made of wood, men were made of steel” but will the men of today be able to brave the journey their predecessors did?